Matthew Stafford hasn’t been with the Detroit Lions for years at this point, seeing that he was traded from the Lions to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 and has served as the Rams’ quarterback ever since. He won a Super Bowl with the Rams his inaugural season with the team, and he’s had solid seasons since then, so one might think that Stafford has no reason to look back to the Motor City.
But, because Stafford has made a surprising gesture to Detroit amid his latest talk about staying in the league.
Detroit Lions Still at the Heart of Matthew Stafford
Stafford has been in the news this week, following a post from NFL analyst and expert Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network sharing the Stafford news that, according to sources, the player is not planning to retire during the offseason.
“From The Insiders in Mobile: Rams QB Matthew Stafford plans to return and play in 2025, sources say, though a deal likely needs to be worked out,” Rapoport shared on social media on Wednesday, January 29.
While the news that Stafford is staying in the NFL should please his fans, one Detroit Lions fan will likely be happy to see Stafford back, too.
As it turns out, Stafford made a beautiful, and surprising, gesture to a Lions fan this week, showing that he’s still truly a Lion at heart.
Lions fan Bryson Machonga decided to sell his autographed Detroit Lions Matthew Stafford jersey this season to open up the funds to take his daughter to an NFL playoff game. Stafford caught wind of the story, according to the Detroit Free Press, and did something beautiful.
Stafford and the Rams actually sent Machonga a new, autographed Lions jersey.
Machonga didn’t think the contact was real at first and thought it was a scam. It’s not normal to get a text message from someone with the Los Angeles Rams, after all. But, after texting with an official with the Rams, he came to the conclusion that it was really Stafford and his team wanting to help.
Move ‘Reconfirmed’ Who Stafford Is
“I was over the moon. … Disbelief at the start. But then it just turned into resounding joy, excitement,” Machonga said in an interview with the Detroit Free Press.
Machonga added that the move “just reconfirmed who Matthew Stafford is. He had no reason to go about doing this. He had no gain. He’s not our quarterback anymore … he went out of his way in a playoff week.”
As the story goes, Machonga sold his autographed Matthew Stafford jersey to buy tickets and make the trip to the Detroit Lions game with his 8-year-old daughter. They made the trip from Appleton, Wisconsin, to watch the Lions go up against the Washington Commanders in an NFL divisional playoff game.
Even though the Lions lost the game, Machonga tells the Free Press they had a great time. He added that Stafford sent a Lions jersey he actually wore during the 2014 season, which is the season he had the best record with the Lions at 11-5. He also added a special message of gratitude to Bryson.
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